A passenger train has derailed in Spain's north-western Galicia region, killing four people and injuring 47 others who were taken to hospitals, authorities said.

The LÉ Aisling, which intercepted the IRA gun-running ship Marita Ann in 1984 and recovered bodies from Air India flight 182 in 1985, is being decommissioned, writes Sean O’Riordan.

Ryanair has announced more flights from Dublin to London.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

ON THE SLOPES

International Friendly

Ireland’s Conor McCabe was last night celebrating a remarkable hat-trick of victories over overseas opponents in the Tennis Europe Under-14 Circuit event in Dublin.

MSC Cruise Sale Now On!!

This week marks the 40th anniversary of Johan Cruyff’s debut at Barcelona, last week Real Madrid celebrated Francisco Gento’s 80th birthday.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche, riding for Team Saxo-Tinkoff, lies third overall after adding a ninth-placed finish to his stage win on Sunday in yesterday’s third stage of the Vuelta a Espana between Vigo and Mirador de Lobeira.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche won a four-man sprint at the end of the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana from Pontevedra to Baiona.

Lukasz’s grasp of English was mightily impressive for a guy who has lived in Gdansk all his life.

SHOW JUMPER Denis Lynch rounded off a good weekend at the World Cup show in Vigo, Spain, when steering Abbervail van het Dingeshof to fifth place in yesterday’s grand prix.

PLANNING for the nations cup season moves into focus next Tuesday, when riders gather with management at Dublin airport to plan the season ahead.

A FORMER Army bomb disposal expert tried to murder his pregnant wife by planting a hand grenade in her car after she confronted him about his affair, a court heard yesterday.

JESSICA KUERTEN greatly boosted her chances of making the World Cup final yesterday when fending off a strong effort from the home contingent to win the qualifier at Mechelen, Belgium.

IRELAND show jumping manager Robert Splaine has given two of the next four Rolex World Cup slots to Jessica Kürten, with Cameron Hanley and Dermott Lennon sharing one apiece.

CONSIDERING Billy Twomey’s wealth of talent, it is a surprise to find he has never contested a World Cup final.

FOR all culture vultures out there, check out Copenhagen’s Night of Culture on October 10 – an annual event that grants visitors access to venues such as museums, churches, galleries and political institutions.

DESPITE an ash cloud 2,100 miles long and 1,400 miles wide hovering off the west coast, Irish airports will be open for business for much of today, allowing airlines to operate a near-normal service.

Further flight disruptions were expected in European airspace today as a plume of volcanic ash snaked its way through southern France, Switzerland and northern Italy, the European air management agency in Brussels said.

Twenty airports in the north of Spain, including international hub Barcelona, have been closed as the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud spreads south, the country’s airport authority said today.

RELATIVES of a pregnant woman seriously injured in a car explosion in a quiet village said yesterday she had started her “long road to recovery”.

The unborn child of a pregnant woman who was seriously injured in a car explosion in Britain was unharmed by the blast, doctors believe.

Belfast was gearing up today for a week of celebrations today as the Tall Ships arrive.

IRELAND’S show jumpers put in a battling performance to finish third in the nations cup at Lummen, Belgium, yesterday, despite elimination for pathfinder Cian O’Connor and Splendor.

JESSICA KÜRTEN qualified for the World Cup final last Sunday and then declared her surprise at the achievement.

Lenny Kravitz is to be given a stage makeover after Gucci designer Frida Giannini agreed to create the star's outfits for his forthcoming European tour.

THE swamp fever outbreak that hit the country last year is officially at an end. This week, the Department of Agriculture announced that the last restrictions on premises imposed as a result of last year’s outbreak were being lifted.

CAMERON HANLEY’S seventh place in the World Cup class at Vigo, Spain, last weekend has seen the selectors keep faith in him by selecting him for the penultimate round in Gothenburg.

A CHANGE of horse proved a judicious move for show jumper Cameron Hanley when he rode SIEC Concept to seventh place in Saturday’s World Cup contest in Vigo, Spain.

Ireland's Jessica Kurten was one of 14 riders through to the jump-off in tonight's Grand Prix at the World Cup show in Vigo, Spain, but one mistake kept her out of the top 10 at the finish.

Ireland's Cameron Hanley finished a creditable 7th in the latest qualifying round of the FEI World Cup in Vigo, Spain, tonight.

THE Irish Farmers Association (IFA) this week said it is “outraged” by the Department of Agriculture’s refusal to provide compensation for four breeders it says are at a financial loss as a result of swamp fever restrictions.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will visit emergency service crews fighting 110 forest fires in north-west Spain today, officials said.

Emergency services today were fighting 110 forest fires in wooded areas of northwest Spain, many of which were started deliberately, officials said.

More than 200 passengers fell ill with a viral infection on an American cruise ship that docked today in north-west Spain, officials said.

Irish racing may have a new training hero before Cheltenham is over. John Murphy may not be a well known name outside the racing fraternity, but Declan Colley says that could change in today’s Queen Mother Champion Chase with Newmill.

EVENTING followers will be disappointed to hear that Blarney Castle International Three-day Event will not be run this year. The event was scheduled to return to the eventing calendar in 2006, having not run since 2001.

A WATERFORD shipping agent accused of supplying boats to international drug dealers has pleaded with Spanish police to let him return to Ireland without seeking his arrest.

The EU was close to a deal today intended to protect cod and other threatened fish species from overfishing by setting up an agency to manage fisheries.

KEVIN BABINGTON is reserving his firepower until Sunday’s World Cup qualifier in Florida as he bids to book his ticket for the final.

Switzerland’s Beat Mandli and Principal raced through with a late run at London’s Olympia Showjumping to snatch the opening Shelley Ashman, BEIB & Equine Risk Stakes from Robert Smith and Kalusha by 0.13 seconds.